Deep in the Living
Chapter 268 - 256: Imprisonment

Chapter 268: Chapter 256: Imprisonment

Several hundred meters away from the Mercury Hotel, on the street.

Five figures enshrouded in special raincoats had already arrived, slightly delayed due to train issues.

The individual responsible for perception had just finished inspecting the car wreckage.

"The target bisected a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu traveling at high speed with a single slice, and a brief confrontation erupted here afterward... it could hardly be called a fight.

The Moon Inspector—Benjamin unleashed his physical spiritual power in a counter-attack, but to no avail. He has taken refuge in the Mercury Hotel."

"Let’s go."

The five-man squad quickened their pace; the Mercury Hotel had a cooperation with the General Administration. According to their investigation, the "criminal" behind the Eclipse incident had the power to deal a devastating blow to this branch.

They pushed the door open.

The expected sounds of fighting did not reach their ears, nor could they smell the scent of blood. What filled the air instead was the unique fragrance of the Mercury Hotel.

The Black manager stood behind the counter, smiling and attending to the guests.

As the five of them entered, the manager gestured towards the direction of the restaurant.

As they ascended the staircase, the member of their group with perception skills whispered, "Benjamin’s life functions have ceased, his pituitary has been damaged."

The squad leader issued an order: "Prepare for suppression. If the target displays extreme resistance, authorization to kill is granted."

By the time they reached the restaurant on the second floor, the hotel’s security had all but disappeared.

The record player at the bar was playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the melodious tune interspersed with the constant clinking sounds of metal cutlery against porcelain plates.

A bulky young man sat in the very center of the restaurant, in front of him a mountain of food that he was devouring heartily.

The suppression squad also glanced towards the corner from where the stench of blood wafted,

where Benjamin, the Inspector of Moon City, was in a state of brain expansion turned grotesque, his enlarged head split down the middle, like a cleaved walnut.

Just as the squad members were preparing to suppress the young man responsible for all this,

the squad leader raised his hand signaling them not to act, but instead to disperse and stand in different areas around the restaurant, blocking all possible escape routes.

Some sat,

some stood,

cautiously waiting for the young man to finish off nearly ten people’s worth of food on the table.

"Thank you for waiting," the young man’s voice came through.

"Luo Di, you will be temporarily held in the Investigation Bureau’s detention room pending a thorough investigation of this Eclipse incident. You will then be sentenced for the multitude of crimes you’ve committed.

Come with us."

The squad leader saw Luo Di’s eyes—eyes without a trace of killing intent, utterly serene and relaxed.

The leader only placed basic handcuffs on Luo Di’s hands before departing together.

On their way out of the hotel, Luo Di also expressed his apologies to the Black manager—for having left such an odious, even city-stenching corpse in the restaurant.

...

[One week later]

An investigation, case processing, and criminal trial that would normally take at least a month, were all concluded within just one week.

For committing severe intentional homicide, disrupting public security, and initiating the Eclipse incident, Luo Di should be sentenced to capital punishment.

But, according to the investigation of Moon City, additional findings came to light.

Inspector Benjamin and the group of subordinates he killed committed heinous crimes using their positions, including but not limited to murder, child trafficking, unlawful imprisonment, human trafficking, pituitary abuse.

Luo Di’s killing spree temporarily halted the festering abscess on the Dark Side of the Moon.

The World Bureau will dispatch multiple investigation teams to analyze and address the current state of Moon City. If necessary, Moon City’s special district status will be revoked, foregoing the Dark Side simulation and adopting the same management methods as other cities.

Decided unanimously by the jury and the World Bureau,

As a "high-value death row inmate," Luo Di is sent to Border City Prison for the highest level of solitary confinement, where observing his behavior during imprisonment will determine whether the death penalty will be carried out or not.

*Such death row inmates often possess great strength and retain their humanity, which holds high value for the United Nations, for exploring corners, and for combating Pseudo-People. The execution of the death penalty is suspended as long as their value persists.

...

An entirely sealed armored vehicle made its way to a prison area in the suburbs, styled like an old castle.

Luo Di, his body shackled with electrified chains, his face covered by a metal mask, and a collar around his neck, returned once again to this "Border City Prison," alternatively referred to by some as The Old City Prison.

But compared to his last arrival here,

Luo Di had undergone one significant change besides his status.

His pituitary gland was completely replenished; even the latter half, which previously remained half fulfilled and more difficult to nourish, was fully satiated with an exceptionally high purity on the night of the lunar eclipse.

It seemed there was still a faint glimmer of moonlight shimmering on the surface of the pituitary gland.

As Luo Di stepped into the prison, he felt the same spine pulse as before, only this time he could cover and suppress his spine with the grey hue.

If someone were able to peer into Luo Di’s spine at that moment, they would discover that his entire metallic spine was infused with grey.

After a series of inspection procedures, Luo Di’s prisoner assessment rating was determined, and he was even bestowed a brand-new title.

[Class S - Lunar Eclipse Murderer (Extremely Dangerous)]

Luo Di was not only given a set of special prison clothes that restricted body movement, but also a mark of ’S’ was branded on his neck, denoting the level of danger he posed.

He was arranged to be detained in the depths of the prison, also known as the "Old City District".

Only prisoners with danger ratings of A or above were detained there.

When Luo Di first visited Wendy as a visitor, she was detained in the front area due to her C-level danger assessment. So Luo Di had only ever reached the front part of the prison, which could be said to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Coming back this time as a death row inmate, he finally understood why the word "City" was included in the name of the prison.

On his way to the depths of the prison, not only did he have to pass through several long corridors, but he also had to ride in a ’Prisoner Transport Vehicle’ located inside the prison.

It was a full six kilometers inward before finally reaching his destination.

Strangely, though specifically for detaining dangerous prisoners, Luo Di saw no guards in the depths of the prison.

What he saw was just the mottled old walls that peeled with paint, evoking a sensation of traveling back to the 70s or 80s of the previous century.

There wasn’t a single patrol officer, only several cameras in operation.

But as Luo Di walked in the deep areas of the prison, in the so-called "Old City District" where dangerous criminals were detained,

He felt a surge of pressure, a pressure that came from the environment.

The scale of the prison’s depths was immense, and even though the cells were wide single rooms, there were at least over a hundred dangerous prisoners detained there.

However, Luo Di was not taken directly to his cell, but had to meet with the Prison Director before being admitted to prison.

The closer he approached to the Director’s office, the more intense the sense of oppression became, and the more pronounced the disturbance to Luo Di’s spine.

Luo Di even began to speculate that this Prison Director might have something to do with Hell, potentially being a Connector linked to the True Hell.

Old City District, top floor.

Accompanied by a guard, Luo Di arrived at a door completely bathed in red.

"Prison Director, death row inmate Luo Di has been brought here."

The heavy crimson Iron Gate opened inward.

In the blink of an eye,

Luo Di felt as though he had entered a majestic and vast palace.

A red-haired king sat on the throne, crowned with a Golden Crown.

In his left hand, he held a Golden scepter, symbolizing power.

In his right hand, he lifted a Golden Dumbbell, representing strength.

There was no royal robe; instead a nearly perfect physical body was displayed, with each muscle contour faultless.

This was not a Demon from the True Hell, nor a Connector related to Hell... but a fleshly king who delighted in violence and combat.

The significant response in Luo Di’s spine was not a resonance with Hell, but the sensing of something strongly related to war, slaughter, and fighting.

The Prison Director in front of him was indeed such a person.

In the blink of an eye,

The scene reverts back to a normal office.

No such throne exists.

Only a mechanical wheelchair specially customized by Atomic Military Industry was there.

A man who retained only his upper body, and even then lacked the left half, "sat" in the wheelchair, more precisely, was mounted or connected to the wheelchair.

Thanks to the wheelchair’s sensors, he could either lie back or sit up, and if necessary, it could support him to stand for a while.

The remnants of his right half showed traces of physical training from days gone by, now skeletal thin due to lack of exercise for a long time.

Various needles were also inserted into his right arm, delivering special fluids that sustained his body.

This was the Prison Director, the ruler of Border City Prison.

Even with a decaying body, his voice was deafening: "Mr. D, a celebrity from the Underground Fighting Hall of Mingwang City, welcome to my empire!"